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The students have pleaded, the community groups presented and the parents implored.

Soon, the future of London’s two vocational high schools will be in the hands of a school closing committee.

Thursday will mark the last scheduled public input session before the committee, made up of administrators, trustees, parents and community members.

It’s to decide the fate of Ross and Thames secondary schools. Both schools have dwindling enrolment, which this year stands at more than 200 each.

“I don’t think anything is inevitable,” said Ruth Tisdale, the Thames Valley District school board trustee who heads the vocational and technology program review committee.

“There’s an absolute concern in the community that we meet the needs of the students at Ross and Thames.”

Administrators have recommended Ross and Thames be closed and their students be redistributed among their home schools or Clarke Road, Montcalm and Saunders, which will offer a full range of technology and vocational programs.

Those three schools would be called “emphasis schools,” providing courses in communications and construction technology, green industries, hairstyling and esthetics, health care and hospitality and tourism.

After Thursday’s meeting, the committee will draft an initial report, which will then get further input from the public.

After another report is finalized, it goes to the trustees of the school board, who can reject or accept it.

“There is concern about the programming needs of the students at Thames and Ross,” Tisdale said.

Because Ross and Thames put a focus on vocational education and cater to students likely entering the workforce after high school, they often can’t offer courses like drama or advanced math because of low enrolment and teacher distribution.

That means students don’t have a lot of course choices.

Students, parents and community groups that have spoken at the public input sessions have mostly been in favour of keeping the two schools open, Tisdale said.